colored diamonds vs sapphires

[gemofnj]

Does anyone know if colored diamonds are considered more ''precious'' than a sapphire or ruby?

Im considering to purchase a cushion cut sapphire, however, Im wondering if I should actually be looking for colored diamonds instead. I couldnt find any colored diamonds that are deep blue as in a burmese or kasmir colored blue sapphire.

Also, isnt it true that UNTREATED gems have a better resale value than those that are treated?



Thanks!

 

[Amethyste]

a colored diamond will run you a lot of money. Especially one that is blue, they are rare, unless you have millions to spend . I''d stick with the Sapphire.

 

[chrono]

“Precious” is all in the mind. However, if you are talking about price and rarity, then yes, an untreated coloured diamond of comparable quality will be more expensive and rare compared to a likewise corundum. However, you will not find any blue coloured diamonds as richly coloured and pure as a Burmese or Kashmir blue sapphire even if you are prepared to fork out several million dollars. As for resale, it all depends on what the buyer is willing to pay and how desperate the seller is to get rid of the stone.

 

[gemofnj]

mmm.. and im guessing pink is even more expensive???

 

[chrono]

Correct. Basically all untreated coloured diamonds that have colour as saturated as an untreated sapphire of similar size will be many times the price of the sapphire.

 

[Amethyste]

any diamond that display a color other than the "normal" D to Z scale will most likely have a "fancy" title and once that is, the price per carat skyrockets - that is for ANY color ( a little less for Champagne color )

 

[yssie]

Date: 2/25/2010 1:35:55 PM
Author: Amethyste
any diamond that display a color other than the 'normal' D to Z scale will most likely have a 'fancy' title and once that is, the price per carat skyrockets - that is for ANY color ( a little less for Champagne color )

For pinks and blues (don't know about greens) I believe the fancy colour scale starts at K hue & saturation in yellow/browns - well before reaching 'Z' tints!

 

[Amethyste]

REALLY?
I do know the tint start showing at K - but thought it was "yellow" tint. Not pinks or blues... they have their own scale as in vivid pink or whatever... The champagne are classified C-1 and so on...

 

[yssie]

I didn't state that clearly -



You won't see a blue diamond graded an O/P, or anything greater than a J (a white diamond from blueish rough) because stronger tints than this are now considered coloured diamonds, and they become exponentially more valuable like you said

I don't believe the colour scales (C, P, etc.) are officially endorsed by the grading labs - I think they all use some variation of light/med/intense p/pp/.. actually listed out with modifiers? Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.

 

[dkodner]

Hello all-

Chrono is correct as usual, any natural colored diamond is going to be a lot more rare and expensive than it''s sapphire counterpart, and I agree the idea of what is "precious" is in the mind. But, there are indeed blue diamonds that can match the pure rich color of a Burmese sapphire, but you do not see those often, and they command a king''s ransom. Personally, if you are looking for that deep rich blue, even if they were not millions of dollars apart in price, I would steer you to the sapphire. There is a different kind of brilliance/warmth between the stones, and a really fine sapphire can make you melt.

Yssie- I''m not sure I understand the comment correctly, so I apologize if I am reading this wrong, but you cannot use the D-Z scale at all for any pink or blue diamond, it''s apples to oranges. In the yellow and brown category, to be a true "fancy" color, it must be deemed to be beyond Z. You can see shades of color I-J and below, but it is not fancy I-Z. We do see some reports that list light yellow (xyz), but that is not a true "fancy" yellow.

D

 

[yssie]

Date: 2/25/2010 3:40:16 PM
Author: dkodner
Hello all-

Chrono is correct as usual, any natural colored diamond is going to be a lot more rare and expensive than it''s sapphire counterpart, and I agree the idea of what is ''precious'' is in the mind. But, there are indeed blue diamonds that can match the pure rich color of a Burmese sapphire, but you do not see those often, and they command a king''s ransom. Personally, if you are looking for that deep rich blue, even if they were not millions of dollars apart in price, I would steer you to the sapphire. There is a different kind of brilliance/warmth between the stones, and a really fine sapphire can make you melt.

Yssie- I''m not sure I understand the comment correctly, so I apologize if I am reading this wrong, but you cannot use the D-Z scale at all for any pink or blue diamond, it''s apples to oranges. In the yellow and brown category, to be a true ''fancy'' color, it must be deemed to be beyond Z. You can see shades of color I-J and below, but it is not fancy I-Z. We do see some reports that list light yellow (xyz), but that is not a true ''fancy'' yellow.

D

Yep. this is what I mean - the sense that you can have a white diamond with a yellowish tint and it might be called a K, or with a brownish tint and it might be called a K with a notation of colour, but if you have a white diamond of the same intensity of tint in the colour pink it''s no longer even on that D-Z scale - it''s moved on the bigger and better and expensiv-er

 

[gemofnj]

"Personally, if you are looking for that deep rich blue, even if they were not millions of dollars apart in price, I would steer you to the sapphire. There is a different kind of brilliance/warmth between the stones, and a really fine sapphire can make you melt."

D,

Would you have any photos to depict this brilliance?

I''m very torn between 1)blue or pink sapphire vs 2)colored diamonds, and if given a choice, i would prefer the least amount of flaws if any, than that of a certain size.

I want to feel the ''wow'' factor. most folks favor a blue sapphire, maybe even myself. im confused at this point. im not a fan of any heat treated stones.

 

[Hest88]

I wouldn''t really describe a great sapphire as "brilliant." Instead its richness is in its deep, velvety color. Look here for some lovely examples:
http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/sapphire_connoisseurship.htm

Seriously, though, unless you want yellows or browns, you''re not going to get an untreated saturated colored diamond in any decent size without Trump-level money.

 

[kenny]

You can buy this GIA Fancy Vivid Green-Blue VS1 diamond for $52,920.
(Oh, and brown patches of color are not shown.)

It is 0.24 carat.

Link

 

[dkodner]

Gemofnj-

I am by no means a gemstone photographer. So these are not great pictures, and they are just taken at my desk with a daylight bulb overhead. The sapphire is a ceylon sapphire and the diamond is a fancy deep blue.

Here is a side by side comparison. next to each other, the richness of the blue sapphire makes the blue diamond look greyish. You can see how the refraction from the diamond gives it a kind of steelish look, and a harder more contrasted edge. The sapphire has that "velvety" (great adjective Hest8 soft look. There is no doubt the blue diamond is stunning on it''s own, but if you are looking for that rich deep blue color, you cannot beat a beautiful sapphire. At least IMHO you get the "wow" factor more from the sapphire. Of course, if you go with a blue diamond, when you tell people it is a diamond, they will no doubt say "wow"...

I hope that helps in your decision.

D

 

[gemofnj]

Thank you Hest and D.

Your information is really helpful.

It seems that there is also somewhat of a ''regal'' look about the velvety deep color of the kashmir or burmese sapphires.

And, the look of the diamond, has the ''pop'' one would want in a diamond. Most people are truly attracted to white diamonds, however, the colored ones appear to be the most rare. At one point I was thinking about a pink diamond, because it is unique, but now I am leaning towards perhaps the blue sapphire.

I guess it boils down to a personal decision. I have such a passion for all types of stones, including pearls. So, I guess I will conquer them all, one step at a time.. lol